Super Blood Wolf Moon 2019: How to watch only total lunar eclipse of 2019; times, what to know

This weekend will be a prime time for sky watchers to spend some time outside.

The only total lunar eclipse of 2019 will take place the evening of Sunday, Jan. 20. Visible for the entirety of North and South America, the eclipse is referred to as a “super blood moon” – “super” because the moon will be closest to the Earth in its orbit during the full moon and “blood” because the total lunar eclipse will give the moon a reddish hue.

According to Native American tradition, January’s full moon is referred to as a “Wolf Moon,” giving this weekend’s moon the impressive sounding “Super Blood Wolf Moon" title.

What to expect, time

At 9:36 p.m. EST (8:36 p.m. CST) on Jan. 20, the edge of the moon will begin entering the penumbra, the outer part of the Earth’s cone-shaped shadow. The moon will then dim slightly for the next 57 minutes as it moves deeper into the shadow.

At 10:33 p.m. EST (9:33 p.m. CST), the edge of the moon will enter the umbra, the inner part of the shadow. At that point, the darkening of the moon will become more noticeable and significant. By 11:41 p.m. EST (10:41 p.m. CST), the moon will be completely in the shadow, marking the beginning of the total lunar eclipse. The moment of the greatest eclipse, when the moon is halfway through the umbra, occurs at 12:12 a.m. EST (11:12 p.m. CST), according to NASA.

At 12:43 a.m. EST (11:43 p.m. CST), the edge of the moon will be exiting the inner shadow and moving into the outer shadow. This marks the end of the total lunar eclipse. By 1:50 a.m. EST (12:50 a.m. CST), the moon will be completely outside the inner shadow and will continue moving until the eclipse officially ends at 2:48 a.m. EST (1:48 a.m. CST).

What if it’s cloudy?

If clouds are blocking your view of the eclipse, don’t worry. There are livestream options to see the celestial show, including the Time and Date live stream.

Blood moon

As the moon moved completely into the inner shadow, it will take on a reddish-orange hue.

The reason? The Earth’s atmosphere.

As the sunlight passes through the atmosphere, its small molecules scatter blue light, which is why the sky appears blue. This leaves behind mostly red light that refracts into the Earth’s shadow, NASA said. We can see the red light during an eclipse as it falls onto the moon in Earth’s shadow.

How a lunar eclipse works

Eclipses can occur when the sun, moon and Earth align. Lunar eclipses can only happen during a full moon, when the moon and sun are on the opposite sides of the Earth. At that point, the moon can move into the shadow cast by the Earth, resulting in a lunar eclipse. Most of the time, however, the moon’s slightly titled orbit brings it above or below the Earth’s shadow.

According to NASA, the time period when the moon, Earth and sun are lined up and on the same plane – allowing the moon to pass through the Earth’s shadow – is called eclipse season. Eclipse seasons last about 34 days and occur just shy of every six months. If a full moon occurs during eclipse season, the moon travels through the Earth’s shadow, creating a lunar eclipse.

Unlike solar eclipses, which occur for a short time in a limited area and require special glasses to view, a total lunar eclipse is visible for about an hour by anyone on the nighttime side of the Earth, as long as the sky is clear and clouds don’t hamper the viewing.

Full Wolf Moon and more

January’s Wolf Moon isn’t the only full moon with a traditional Native American name.